"Damn it!"
The God of Fun actually stole her drink—Sparkle didn't even know what to say.
But soon she noticed something off. Though only one sip was left, something special had appeared in it.
Looking closer, ripples formed on that last sip of the drink. The ripples carried the blessing of Elation. Seeing this blessing, Sparkle's face lit up with a smile.
The drink was still Pei Guang's, only with something extra inside.
Realizing this drink was no longer normal, Sparkle didn't rush to act on it. Instead, she approached the dream bubble to learn what had happened inside.
Though she couldn't directly see the contents, she could still understand what had taken place through it.
This world was a stage, and what happened in Penacony was a very amusing play. In this play, Sparkle found the role she was meant to perform.
Originally, the play's development and ending had already been fixed.
She only needed to act out this unchosen role properly, and she would both participate and watch a fine performance.
But after encountering Pei Guang, she realized one thing: with the appearance of this special existence, the play staged in Penacony still continued, yet no one knew what would happen next—not even the previously fixed ending remained unchanged.
"How interesting~ So this is his power? Such a fascinating stage, such an amusing story, countless eyes watching… It seems I'll have to move to an even more interesting stage~"
Sparkle smiled and took out Pei Guang's leftover drink. Looking at that last sip, her smile grew brighter.
"God of Fun? Then allow me to bring a moment of elation to this play~"
Sparkle drank the last sip. At that moment, her mask fell onto her face, and both she and the mask revealed a dazzling smile.
Meanwhile, on the other side, having left Sparkle, Pei Guang's group was strolling down the street while bantering.
Stelle: "Damn it! Such an amazing dream, and only you got to experience it. That doctor is really useless."
Originally, after Pei Guang finished, Stelle had been ready to go in and enjoy it too. But the moment Pei Guang came out, the dream bubble was no longer accessible, and that Dr. Edward had already rolled his eyes back.
This made Stelle very dissatisfied.
Pei Guang: "Alright, alright~ That instance was probably a limited-time experience. But I'm sure we'll get another chance to replay it later. Since we can't for now, let's go try something else. Do you guys know what else is fun here?"
Hearing Pei Guang's question, Firefly looked at him with expectation: "I know~ You've let me experience so many fun things, so next, let me take you on a tour of Penacony, okay?"
Pei Guang: "Of course!"
Hearing his confirmation, Firefly smiled. She pointed down the road: "Everyone, follow me. I'll show you one of the famous sights here."
Under her lead, Pei Guang and Stelle arrived at Golden Hour's main avenue.
Firefly: "This is Glaux Avenue, the main street of Golden Hour~"
She introduced the place to Pei Guang and Stelle.
Countless vehicles drove down the avenue, while shops lined both sides, filled with luxuries one could only experience in dreams.
The place bustled with people, though many of them, still influenced by Pei Guang's earlier Q-bounce antics, looked springy and jiggly.
Just as Firefly was about to guide Pei Guang and Stelle to see the Clockie's statue, chaos suddenly broke out on the street.
The moment it did, exclamation marks popped above both Pei Guang and Stelle's heads.
Before Firefly could even speak, they rushed toward the commotion with excitement.
Watching the two vanish so suddenly, Firefly opened her mouth: "I… got left behind?"
But before she could finish, Pei Guang came running back at high speed, holding a trash can: "No time to explain—get in the can!"
Seeing this, Firefly smiled and immediately jumped in.
That familiar can, that familiar feeling… moving so quickly through Penacony gave Firefly a strange, inexplicable sense of emotion.
But wonderful moments don't last forever.
Just as she was enjoying it, Pei Guang had already reached the source of the commotion. A large crowd had gathered.
From within the crowd, someone waved toward him: "Here~ Over here~"
Carrying the trash can with Firefly inside, Pei Guang squeezed through. Once inside, he, Stelle, and Firefly saw what everyone was watching.
In the center stood a man proposing to a woman. The proposal was decorated with flowers, accompanied by a troupe performance unique to the Reverie.
Amidst festive music, the man raised the bouquet in his hands: "Li! Marry me!"
The red-haired woman named Li looked at the man before her, showing excitement, happiness, and bliss. Today, led by her boyfriend, she had explored the city of dreams.
She had always been waiting, waiting for the moment her boyfriend would propose.
Today was the day they were leaving Penacony. She thought she had lost her chance: but just as they were about to depart, she was met with this surprise.
But she was so overjoyed, so overwhelmed, that the words she wanted to say caught in her throat.
Although the words stuck in her throat, the woman tightly embraced her lover, and in that instant her voice finally burst out: "I do~ I do~ I do!"
At that moment, the two of them held each other close and kissed.
Seeing this, Stelle clapped enthusiastically, and Firefly, watching the two so happy together, had a sparkle flash in her eyes. But that light faded almost instantly, replaced by a vague, unspoken sadness.
Seeing their happiness, Firefly sincerely gave them her blessing. She could tell that once this couple left Penacony, they would marry and stay together.
What awaited them might not all be bliss: petty quarrels, daily troubles, or even, in the worst case, parting ways someday.
But whether it was pain or joy, at least they had a future.
And she herself…
Firefly let out a quiet sigh.
Then, turning her gaze toward Pei Guang… Though they had known each other only briefly, the vivid, dreamlike experiences in this dreamscape were something she would never forget, not in this lifetime—unless…
While her thoughts wandered, the crowd around them grew noisier. She instinctively lifted her head and saw a flower flying toward her.
It turned out the newly-engaged couple was sharing their joy.
Perhaps it was a tradition from their homeland, or perhaps just a whim, but they had pulled apart their bouquets and scattered the flowers among the onlookers, wishing everyone could find their own other half.
One of the flowers happened to float toward Firefly. Before she could reach for it, both Pei Guang and Stelle spotted it and moved at the same time.
Relying on his long arms, Pei Guang reached straight out toward the drifting flower. Just as his hand was about to close around it, he sneered, "I win!"
Originally, seeing Pei Guang about to grab it, Stelle hadn't wanted to bother competing: after all, there were plenty of flowers tossed out, and stealing another would be easy.
But hearing that taunt, she couldn't sit still.
Any other flower could be skipped, but this one? No way.
Stelle instantly drew the War-Flaming Lance and flicked Pei Guang's hand aside.
As she did, she shouted, "Ah Guang! Don't blame me for fighting dirty—War-Flaming Lance!!!"
With her cry, amber light flared from the spear. The pure power of Preservation wrapped around the flower.
That flower had probably never imagined that one day, in a dreamscape, it would be protected by the very force of Preservation itself.
Stelle's strike successfully knocked Pei Guang's hand away. He tried to reach out with his other hand, but the strange physics of the dream worked against him.
The flower drifted down and landed squarely on Firefly's chest.
Her chest didn't look especially large, but it was more than enough to keep the flower from slipping to the ground.
Of course, if it had been Master Diviner Fu Xuan instead, her stature guaranteed the flower would have hit the floor…